Coast Guard Rescues Two From Sinking Yacht in Washington [PHOTOS]

SEATTLE — The U.S. Coast Guard rescued two people after their yacht began taking on water north of Dungeness Spit, near Sequim, Washington, on Friday.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound in Seattle received a distress call on VHF-FM channel 16 around 7:31 a.m. Friday from the owner of the 67-foot motorized yacht, Lady A, reporting that him and another woman were abandoning ship into their life raft.

The Coast Guard launched a 45-foot response boat to the scene, as well as issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast to alert vessels in the area. Responding to the broadcast was the crew of the Hapag Lloyd containership, MV Tokyo Express, who launched a small boat to assist and found the man and woman still onboard the sinking yacht.

The two were later transferred to the Response Boat – Medium and brought to Station Port Angeles without injuries.

The Lady A was initially reported to have sunk in 180 feet of water, but local reports on Monday said that the vessel never entirely sank and it was towed to Port Angeles over the weekend. The yacht was carrying an estimated 700 gallons of diesel, but no sheen has been reported, according to the Coast Guard.